Parents' Guide to

NHL 14

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

This year's fun hockey sim shows a more aggressive game.

Game PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2013
NHL 14 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • NHL 14 Game: Screenshot #1
  • NHL 14 Game: Screenshot #2
  • NHL 14 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

ryans3
ryans3 Adult
December 31, 2014
age 8+

It should be 8 and older!

I see kids that are 6 who play this game! It is a very fun and well made game, beautiful graphics!! :)

This title has:

Great role models
Too much violence
ThegoodReviewer
ThegoodReviewer Parent of 13-year-old
November 13, 2013
age 8+

It really captures hockey in it´s true form!

I think it´s an awesome game for kids that like sports games. There is the possibility of fighting on the ice rink but there´s no blood or anything. The graphics have improved sinse the last NHL game! You can now tell what player he is from the face behind the mask. I recomend it for real hockey fans but if you don´t really like hockey don´t buy it! It´s not worth 50 USD unless your a real hockey lover.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much consumerism
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Another year, another NHL hockey video game from EA Sports. As with past games in the series, NHL 14 lets you play as or against your favorite teams and players from the league, but this year adds a few new features including a more aggressive game with bigger hits (thanks to NHL Collision Physics), a fighting mechanic powered by EA Sports' Enforcer Engine (powered by Fight Night tech), one-touch dekes, and other slick moves. This year's game also introduces the "Live the Life" mode, a refreshed version of the "Be a Pro" career mode, where every decision you make on or off the ice can shape your career as a hockey star; plus there's a retro NHL 94 Anniversary mode. This PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 sports game also supports multiplayer matches over the Internet or side-by-side on the same television.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (3):

As with most annual sports games, it's tough to see a major difference every year. Unless you're a huge fan of the franchise and want the latest team rosters and new features, you might want to wait every 2 or 3 years before buying into a new NHL game to really see major changes. This year's version is it's a faster and more aggressive game and the controls have been tweaked to offer greater dexterity and movement (for example, the left stick and one button lets you easily deke opponents). While it's a great idea, the NHL 94 Anniversary mode isn't as much fun to play despite the old-school graphics, 16-bit sounds, and faster gameplay. Overall, NHL 14 isn't a bad hockey game at all -- in fact, it's fun, good looking, and has a number of solo and multiplayer modes -- but it's just not very different than last year's game, despite the marketing efforts to convince you otherwise.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

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